Slavery
Slavery is embedded deep into the roots of the Cape. It was, because of slavery that we have such a diverse country, with many different cultures, beliefs and languages. Many people when asked about slavery say it is bad, terrible, sad, but not enough of them know enough about it as it is slowly dying away and becoming less and less of a memory. This essay deals with the who, what, when, why and how of slavery as well as the legacy that the slaves, our ancestors, left us.
Colonialism the Cape is what brought slavery. In 1652 A refreshment stop was set up in the Cape by the VOC. 28th March 1958, only six years later, the first slaves were brought into the Cape from Angola and West Africa, aboard the Amersfoort. Slaves were brought to the Cape as a free labour force. The Dutch needed a lot of labourers and since the native people were almost wiped out they decided to import and export slaves. Europeans already had a trade history with Africa, but when they started showing more interest in slaves, slavery in Africa became more frequent. Slavery was now well under way; the slaves came from all over the world.
Slaves were made up of those people who were seen as lower class: Who were the black people. Originally the Khoi-Khoi and the San, but due to illnesses and battles they were mostly wiped out so they decided to bring in slaves from all over. In the early 18th century Indian slaves were very popular and made up approximately 80%. 6 May 1958 228 slaves were